David Ayer (Fury) has released the first image of Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker from his upcoming film Suicide Squad.

Leto joins a legacy of actors who came before him to play The Joker, most notably Heather Ledger (The Dark Knight), who won an Academy Award in 2009 for his performance. Since Ledger’s untimely death after playing the role, the role of The Joker has remained untouched in film – until now. Not only does Leto have Ledger’s shadow to contend with, but also that of Jack Nicholson (The Shining), who played the role in Tim Burton’s seminal 1989 movie. It will be up to Leto’s performance to bring something new to the character.

With each Joker comes a new look and Leto is no exception. Ledger’s costuming definitely took him to a much darker level and Leto’s version seems to be molded in the same vein. There is the iconic green hair and purple glove, though this version has him covered in tattoos as well. Everything from smiles, cards, and ‘Ha’s cover Leto, bringing a new twist to The Joker’s look.

The Suicide Squad wishes you a Happy Anniversary Mr. J! #Joker75 #SuicideSquad @WarnerBrosEnt @DCComics pic.twitter.com/LZXz0x947Q

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) April 25, 2015

Suicide Squad takes a very different approach to the superhero world by instead focusing on the super villains. Suicide Squad began as a comic book in 1959 and has had several comic comebacks since. The story follows the most notorious criminals as they are sent by the government on the most dangerous missions in order to reduce their sentences. Ayer’s film focuses in on Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie (The Wolf Of Wall Street), The Joker played by Leto, Captain Boomerang played by Jai Courtney (Divergent), Deadshot played by Will Smith (I, Robot) and more. For the first time the villains will be the focus and no superhero will be coming to save the day.

Below is the first group photo of the villainous cast:

Cast read through today! #SuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/yajjcB5aEb

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) April 9, 2015

Suicide Squad is set to hit theaters in August 2016.